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The Weekly Snapshot
Your source for the latest tips, information, and current campus safety resources from the NCCPS.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation Campus Liaison Initiative
Our campus communities are unique environments where people come together to work, live, and learn. Unfortunately, our ability to keep our campus communities safe and secure is becoming far more difficult as the threats we face become increasingly complex. There is no guaranteed solution to our shared challenges, but we are strongest when we leverage our relationships and the resources of our partners at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Regardless of whether a campus has a sworn police or non-sworn security department, all campuses have access to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) primarily though the Campus Liaison Program (CLP).
The FBI's Campus Liaison Program has a mission to "continuously enhance liaison relationships with colleges and universities in an effort to increase mutual cooperation and information sharing between campuses and Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) to thwart soft-target vulnerabilities, and to detect, deter, and disrupt extremist activity on campuses and against campus personnel."
The FBI program seeks to:
- Establish a point of contact at each institution of higher education
- Create an environment of two-way information sharing
- Operate within the guidelines of FERPA / Buckley Amendment
- Increase awareness and provide training for campus administrators and public safety personnel
Participating in the CLP offers the ability to build strong, trust-based relationships prior to a crisis, increase two-way information sharing systems, as well raise awareness of campus vulnerabilities and ongoing threats. To learn more about how the FBI CLP can aid in keeping your campus community safe and secure, contact your Campus Liaison Agent at your FBI field office. You can search for the local FBI field office nearest to your campus
here
.
In addition, each FBI field office has a Behavioral Analysis Unit Coordinator (BAUC) with reach-back to the FBI Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC). BAUC personnel deploy to deliver behavioral-based investigative support and to "provide time-sensitive, on-site support to the investigators and managers of complex investigations." BTAC support can assist campus public safety agencies with the assessment of communicated threats, whether they are received by phone, email, graffiti, or otherwise. To learn more, visit the FBI's
Investigations & Operations Support
web page.
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| Click to download Hate Crimes on Campus (PDF). |
Hate Crimes
A hate crime, as defined by Congress, is a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation." College and university campus communities are not immune to hate crimes or violence, therefore it is critical to educate campus community members on the devastating impact of these crimes and the need to promote prevention strategies, collaborate with community groups, and provide support to hate crime victims.
Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released the
Hate Crime Statistics for 2014. The data provides information about bias-motivated offenses and the victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes. Key findings include:
- Nationally, there were 5,462 single-bias incidents involving 6,681 victims and 17 multiple-bias incidents involving 46 victims
- Most victims (48.3 percent) were targeted because of the offenders' racial bias; 18.7 percent were victimized because of the offenders' sexual-orientation bias; 17.1 percent were targeted because of the offenders' religious bias; and 12.3 percent were victimized due to ethnicity bias
- Of the 1,875 offenders for whom ages were known, 81.0 percent were 18 years of age or older
- Examines the prevalence of hate crimes on campuses, who is targeted, what kinds of crimes are committed, and the frequency and impact of bias incidents
- Identifies common problems college communities have experienced in responding to hate crimes and provides recommendations for prompt, effective, and appropriate responses
- Describes several promising efforts to respond to campus hate crimes and implement prevention programs
- Explains the difference between hate crimes and bias incidents and discusses the factors police consider to determine whether a hate crime has been committed
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides a compilation of three OVC training videos and guidebooks in one publication,
Gaining Insight, Taking Action: Basic Skills for Serving Victims
. This document offers valuable tools for a broad range of service providers, criminal and juvenile justice professionals, mental health providers, legal advocates, and other audiences who want to better understand how to communicate effectively with crime victims. Segment six of the document addresses hate and bias motivated crimes and will help the reader to understand:
- Why hate and bias crimes have traditionally been underreported and difficult to prosecute
- The short- and long-term effects of hate and bias crimes
- The role of service providers in helping victims of hate and bias crimes
The Community Oriented Policing Services document,
Hate Crimes
, describes the problem of hate crimes and reviews factors that increase its risks; identifies a series of questions to help police analyze local hate crime problems; and reviews what is known about responses to the problem from evaluative research and police practice. Additionally, the guide describes what police can do to reduce underlying tension in the community that contributes to hate crimes; outlines what law enforcement can do to address any special fear and trauma experienced by the individual victim and the racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual orientation community to which the victim belongs; and reviews the police role in monitoring hate groups that have members conducting activities in your community.
Established under The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Department of Justice
Community Relations Service (CRS) is a conflict resolution agency "for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and disability." There are four primary
services provided by the CRS to assist in preventing and resolving conflict: mediation, facilitation, training, and consulting. The CRS responds to all communities, large and small, in every state. The CRS also offers support and
resources for schools, law enforcement, tribal communities, advocacy groups and more. Resources include annual reports; best practices and tips; and publications to include brochures, flyers and pamphlets.
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| Click to access our online calendar of events. |
Professional Development Opportunities
Title: Managing Critical Incidents for Higher Education Institutions: A Multi-Disciplinary Community Approach (MGT-361)
Hosted by: Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
Dates: February 2-4, 2016
Location: Nashville, TN
Fee: Free
Title: Professional Decision Making as a Leadership Model
Hosted by: Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM)
Dates: February 24-25, 2016
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Fee: Registration Fee
Title: ACPA 2016 Conference
Hosted by: American College Personnel Association (ACPA) - College Student Educators International
Dates: March 6-9, 2016
Location: Montreal, QB
Fee: Registration Fee
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